First to Fall

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A vividly told tale of a forgotten American hero—an impassioned newsman who fought for the right to speak out against slavery. The history of the fight for free press is vital today, as journalists face being labeled “enemies of the people.” In this brilliantly researched account, award-winning journalist Ken Ellingwood brings to life abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy. This flawed yet heroic figure made the ultimate sacrifice for free press rights when the First Amendment offered little protection for those critiquing America’s “peculiar institution.” The narrative culminates in Lovejoy’s dramatic confrontations with a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, who relentlessly destroyed his printing presses. Set in the tumultuous 1830s at the edge of slave country, it was a bloody era of innovation, conflict, and moral questioning over justice. In the tradition of works like The Arc of Justice, this compelling narrative seeks to rescue Lovejoy from the footnotes of history and restore him as a martyr whose death catalyzed widespread abolitionist action and initiated the movement toward the free press protections we cherish today.